Dear Old Friends
by Alexandria di Angelo
Summary: Lily Denuitt never wanted to go back to her hometown of Lonely Ridge. She never wanted to delve deeper into the bloodied past of it, either. However, her reunion with old friends drags her down once more into the memories she worked so hard to forget. Through the eyes of Lonely Ridge, Lily will discover the darkest secret hiding in the town's blackened heart, but at what cost?
1. Chapter 1

The scene opened with a booming bass line pumping and pulsing into the nightlife ambiance. The bass was the heartbeat of the crowds coming to and going from the one lively place in the concrete jungle that was Lonely Ridge: The Hendrix. This nightclub, seen from the outside, was merely a den of excitement that the locals loved and visitors steered clear of. However, The Hendrix was so much more than that, though. It was the most coveted spot of the rundown city, because of its personality and the fact that it welcomed folks of all life into its company. It didn't matter where one came from, their wealth, or their popularity. Everyone was equal in The Hendrix, or so the locals said.

Not far from the nightclub was a parked car in the lot of Lonely Ridge's pharmacy, which was a building that was one and the same with the rest of Lonely Ridge. The girl sitting behind the wheel of the car adjusted her earrings one more time, the teardrops of zirconium and sapphire trembling as she took a shaky breath. She was going to be fine, she kept telling herself. Her visit to The Hendrix would go well, like her other visits had in the past. This didn't settle the feeling of uncertainty building in her stomach, though. She brushed her hand over her left thigh, straightening her evening dress and briefly touching the pistol resting in its holster on her leg. As a U.S. Marshall with a scar-filled past, she knew that if her visit went south, she could easily turn someone into hamburger, if the situation called for it. However, she felt the echoes of her past in Lonely Ridge add to her current uneasiness, as if the life she had left in this town was resurrected with her return. That was nonsense, though.

The girl snapped back to the present and took another deep breath. She sighed, shutting off the car. She stepped out and locked the vehicle behind her, then sauntered down the sidewalk to The Hendrix. Confidence radiated from her as she grasped the curved handle of the club door, no sign of anxiety or stress in her features. Whatever had unsettled her so much was then forgotten as she entered the club. Her past, she vowed, would not undo her.

 _Meanwhile..._

Once inside The Hendrix, the man in the trenchcoat assessed the nightlife around him. He released his bated breath and sucked in an air of relief, relaxing his tensed figure. He was going to be fine, he told himself. No one had noticed him come in, nor did anyone pay attention to the fact that his trenchcoat faded off of his body. His shady attire was now replaced by a white dress shirt, suspenders, and a light pink bow tie. He made his rounds on the outskirts of the dance floor, idly chatting with guests and downing a glass of wine in the process. He had been biding his time until he felt the moment was right to take to the floor, halfheartedly talking with guests as he stared down at his wine glass and waited. There was something about the dance floor that made him come alive, and he hadn't been able to put his metaphorical finger on it over the past ten years. He had lost the spark that he had once held at that time, and he hadn't been the same since. Still, one could never put a proper bet on what was capable of happening in the nightclub. It held an interesting past, just as the man possessed.

Finally, he felt a rush like he used to feel over a decade ago. The Hendrix was beckoning him, and he wouldn't deny its call any longer. He found himself in the company of a girl he hadn't seen before, probably because she was visiting Lonely Ridge. As he danced with the girl, he soon learned that she was a journalist, and she was staying in the rundown town because she was writing about the bloody parts of its history. "Lonely Ridge and Its Murders," she called her article. Before the man knew it, one dance passed, then two, then three. In the midst of the fourth dance he was sharing with the writer, he looked up from the center of the floor as the front door of the club swung open. He caught the eye of the female guest that had entered, which was an accident on his part. Suddenly, time itself stopped as the man's gaze remained on the girl, his heart hammering in his throat.

The girl was just as entranced as he was, frozen in place at the door. She hadn't meant to catch his eye, she had only glanced up to observe the club in full swing before resting her eyes on him. Now, however, she couldn't bring herself to look awaawayy. Something about him was definitely familiar to her, but she didn't know what. In the same second that everything had stopped upon their staring, the club came back to life and commenced like it had before. The man could now feel the writer stop, hear her calling to him as he continued to watch the girl at the door. Instead of staying put, the girl blushed and walked away, hoping that whatever had happened was just a freak accident. However, the man politely excused himself from the writer and took to pursuing the girl, hoping that his eyes hadn't played tricks on him, as he had felt there was something familiar about the girl during their staring. He started to sweat from the heat of the crowd and his feverish pursuit before he silently spoke a prayer that his past and his wine weren't forsaking him. He felt the spark of life he had once possessed remain with him as he stepped off the dance floor, and he took to desperately searching the tables and cliques gathered in corners of the club to find the girl he thought he had met before.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One

 **Lily**

"Who was that? "

Lily looked up from her glass of bourbon, remembering that she had just told her friend (who had invited her to The Hendrix) of her own encounter with the man she traded glances with. "Hmm? Oh! Well, I-I don't know, Delilah. For some reason, he looked familiar, like someone I used to know." Lily knew in her heart that she knew who the man was, but she still played dumb in front of her friend. She didn't want the woman sipping on her third glass of wine to get any ideas about him. Despite the fact that she had accepted the invitation to The Hendrix, Lily knew from her past experiences to keep her friend at a distance with situations like this one. It would be better for Lily's safety and her job.

Delilah laughed as she took another sip of the wine in her hand. "Oh, Lily, look at you. You're as white as a sheet! Just because you caught someone's eye on accident, it doesn't mean you need to be on edge about it!" Delilah stood, her black dress shimmering with the club lights catching the fabric. She grabbed Lily's hand and brought her down from the table to the dance floor, weaving through the crowd to get to the middle with Lily in tow. Soon, the girls were in the midst of the pulsating crowd that swayed and rocked to the music that took control of their bodies, as it had with Delilah. The music throbbed in Lily's chest as her friend leaned in to tell her, "You need to relax, loosen up a little! All of that detective work you do is going to send you to an early grave!" Delilah stopped moving with the music and stared Lily down, her eyes roaming the girl as she moved her hands to Lily's hips. She held a look of lust in her eyes as she blushed, her lips flushing scarlet while she leaned in closer to Lily. Their chests were pressed together as Lily blushed immensely and avoided her friend's eyes, but it only drove Delilah's desire further through the roof. Delilah purred in Lily's ear as she forced herself on the girl and whispered, "Besides, why should someone as beautiful and sexy as you let some man's wandering eyes bother you? You got me to love, right?" She tried to steal a kiss from Lily while grinding into her, but failed as Lily started to push away.

Lily couldn't believe that Delilah was trying to do such things to her. She wasn't into girls, not then or ever. When Delilah moved in for the kiss, Lily ripped her hands off of her hips and shook her head. Tears threatened to form, but Lily bit her tongue to keep them from falling. She was distraught and upset, and she felt ready to leave and report Delilah to the local authorities. Lily stood tall as she shouted over the music, practically screaming, "If you're making advances on me because you're drunk, Delilah, then I won't stop you from being the party animal that you are, but don't you _ever_ touch me again!" She made her way for the door, but Delilah stopped her. Lily had crossed her for the last time, being so disobedient and not letting her take what she wanted. Now, Lily was going to pay.

Delilah held the knife concealed in her dress pocket against Lily's abdomen, whispering as she roughly pulled Lily's hair so she knew the girl was paying attention, "Don't move a muscle unless I tell you to. Now, go left to the elevators. We're taking this little matter upstairs, where it's better suited." Lily obeyed, seeing no way out of the situation without causing any more of a scene. She knew that if she could get them to take the fight to a private room on the second level, she could easily disarm Delilah and bring her in to the authorities herself. She just had to cooperate until then. As they stepped into the elevator, Lily saw Delilah press the third level button, which slightly altered her original plan. It would mean more time in the elevator, but Lily knew she could be strong enough to keep her calm until they were completely alone. Delilah, however, couldn't keep herself under control and started licking and biting Lily's neck, the knife still against the girl's abdomen. Just as the elevator stopped on the third level, Delilah pushed Lily forward and into a private room, where she moved to unzip Lily's dress. Before Lily could stop her, the top of her dress was unzipped, exposing her upper back and undergarment. Lily brought Delilah to the floor and stepped on her left wrist, breaking it as Delilah howled in pain and dropped the knife. Lily unsheathed her gun and held it against Delilah's forehead, giving herself a chance to fix her dress. "Now," Lily said in a dark and dangerous voice, "get your filthy hands off of me and get up off the ground, or so help me, I will end your life right here and now." She cocked the gun and saw the look of fear enter Delilah's eyes, smiling venomously as she asked, "Did I stutter?"

Soon, Lily had Delilah tied up and her knife in a bag, ready to take the evidence and her offender to the police. She led them down the fire escape on the side of the club before walking into the police station, a sigh coming from her as she saw an officer walk her way. "Excuse me, miss?" the officer started to say, ready to tell the two girls in dresses that it wasn't visiting hours time. Lily stopped the officer respectfully and said, "Sir, I want to press charges against this woman. She made advances on me and molested me in The Hendrix not twenty minutes ago." Lily tossed the bagged knife to the officer, saying, "She held this against my side and forced me upstairs to a private room, where she tried to undress me. You may need to get her some medical attention, I broke her wrist while defending myself." Lily shoved Delilah in the officer's direction, to which he shook his head in disbelief and asked, "And who the hell are you to talk to me the way that you are? Not to mention, parade your way in here and throw a woman and weapon at me like you own the place?" Before Lily could speak, however, a man's voice answered for her. "Lily Denuitt, U.S. Marshall and Lonely Ridge ex-cop." Lily froze as she recognized the voice, a chill running down her spine as she turned and met the gaze of the man she saw at The Hendrix. He smiled at her and said, "It's been a long time, old friend."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Two

 **Lily**

The man rose from the seat he had been sitting in, a cane in his right hand. He walked slowly towards the officer, who had opened his mouth in shock and was staring at Lily in disbelief. "Denuitt? You're back? Wha-What are you.. How are you.. Huh?" The stupefied officer couldn't do much but gawk at the fact that his best officer from ten years ago was back in his station. The man chuckled to himself before saying, "Officer, I believe that she said the woman you're holding needs medical attention." The officer nodded, his brain moving faster than his body. He seemed to come back to life after the man said something to him again, then he brought Delilah through the station to the nurse's room. In the meantime, Lily turned to the man and looked at him again, shaking her head softly. "I believe we've met before, considering the fact you know my name and past here," she said. The man nodded and smiled warmly, responding to her statement. "Yes, we have. I believe you remember me from somewhere besides the club, though," he said as he watched her face. He saw her smile and his heart throbbed, seeing the same smile from old memories resurface in his mind.

Lily shook her head and chuckled, then she looked him in the eye as she whispered, "Wilford?" It was his turn to chuckle before he answered, "You of all people should know that I go by William around you."

Lily's heart beat haphazardly, shock flowing through her as she registered what had happened in the past hour. She was really there, in Lonely Ridge, standing face to face with one of her best friends from her past. William smiled softly, his thoughts travelling in the same way as Lily's thoughts were. The two hugged and Lily started to tear up, having deeply missed William during her time away from Lonely Ridge. She could feel him hug her tighter, and she did the same. They broke away after a moment, the two chuckling when their eyes met. William sighed and said, "I can't believe you're truly back." He heard the officer call for Lily, and the two walked to the back. Lily had to give an account of Delilah's assault on her, for the record. After some paperwork and shooting the breeze with the officer, Lily and William left the station. William walked Lily to her car, standing at the driver's window as he asked, "Where are you staying for the night?"

She told him that she would be in Lonely Ridge's only hotel, which was not far from The Hendrix. He watched her go, making sure that she got into the hotel safely as he stood in the parking lot where her car had been. Once he knew she was safe, he whistled as he walked in the moonlight. He enjoyed his time in the twilight as he passed by random buildings before he stopped, turning to walk into the cemetery. He reached into his dress shirt pocket and activated his flashlight, clipping it on as he trekked further into the sacred grounds. He knew where he was going, but he still used the light to scare off any riffraff that were skulking in the darkness around him. He finally reached the headstone he had been looking for, sitting next to it as he whistled some more. He finally sighed, his breath trickling into the night as he looked at the stone fondly. He dusted off some grass that was on top of it, making sure that it was free of debris, then he spoke. "You'll never guess what happened, old friend," he whispered as he smiled at the thought of Lily. He went on to tell the stone about his encounter with the girl and how he had made sure that she was safe, talking as if he was telling a story to a child instead of speaking with the dead.

Once he was done with his tale, he sat in the cool earth and reflected on what had happened, wanting to protect Lily in some way. He looked at the stone, brushing his fingers over the name etched into the marble before he asked, "What should I do?" Somehow, he felt the same spark of life he had felt while looking for Lily renew him, and he stood in determination. He had felt some answer come to him, and he couldn't wait for the next day to begin. He said goodbye to his old friend and promised another visit on the next night, then he strolled home. A peaceful smile had graced his face, and it remained with him when he finally made it home and fell asleep. Meanwhile, Lily tossed and turned, restless in her sleep. She was plagued with nightmare after nightmare about what could have happened between her and Delilah, and it finally caused her to awake in a cold sweat around one in the morning. She washed her face and sunk back into her bed, staring at the ceiling fan for hours until she sensed the sun rising. She turned over and checked her bedside clock, 6:30 shouting out the time in angry red letters to her tired eyes. She sighed loudly as she rose, remembering that she hadn't cleaned up from the previous night. She grabbed a towel and made sure her front door was locked before she started the shower, hoping the hot water would cleanse her and prepare her for the new day.


End file.
